A minor quibble....

[Warren]

So I've been tearing through books on the Kindle for the past year, and I'm finally up to the Harry Potter series.

I've been reading them straight through, and am currently on book 7. As I've been reading, I've kind of kept in the back of my head how certain religious groups went apebiscuit about how the books were about witchcraft, and how they would lead your kids to the devil, and how kids shouldn't read anyway when we have perfectly good televisions that work.

Anyway, I'm on the seventh book and wonder one thing:

Why didn't people complain that the book encouraged you to drop out of school?

Our three heroes dropped out of school their senior year, and at least at the point I'm at have no intention of returning to their education. They also advocate identity theft. And knitting.

Really, there was SO much legitimate stuff to complain about, if you read past the first book.

[McDuffies]

I guess to complain about that, you have to actually read the books, not just short summaries.
Hey, who was it that said that you should read less and watch more television? That's a totally weird thing to say, specially for a conservative religious nut. Unless now they think that tv is a thing from good old days that holds positive values and computers and internet are the new thing that rots children's brains.
I'm reading "Inherent Vice" btw.

[TheSuburbanLetdown]

I enjoyed the series, but did they really have to wander the desert for 40 god damn years in book 7? And after all that wandering, the ending is rushed.

Overall, still liked it. Probably shouldn't have read the whole book in one day. What an odd day that was.

Seriously though, the people that advocated burning it never actually took the time to read it.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Seriously though, the people that advocated burning it never actually took the time to read it.

I feel like this is the case in most movements to ban books, for that matter.

"I heard it has horrible things in it! They're things that are so horrible, I can't even bring myself to check!"

[McDuffies]

I believe they use the quote that goes something like "I don't have to step in shit to know it's shit". Except that sometimes you do. Ah, the power of analogies, you can prove just about anything if you find a similar-sounding but otherwise completely unrelated analogy.

Pretty sure that with most movements to ban books, even if some of leaders of the movement did read it, the mass of those who clutch to them just take their opinion for granted. As they say, there's one thing worse than a person who's never read a book, and that is a person who's one book.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

I believe they use the quote that goes something like "I don't have to step in shit to know it's shit".

They'd be surprised, and have clearly never been in the "is that a Baby Ruth at the bottom of the pool" scenario.

As they say, there's one thing worse than a person who's never read a book, and that is a person who's one book.

I like this quote and intend to use it in the future

[Warren]

I enjoyed the series, but did they really have to wander the desert for 40 god damn years in book 7? And after all that wandering, the ending is rushed.

It also seems a lot of the series has a Scooby-Doo ending, where stuff is explained for pages and pages and most if not all of the explanation is already understood by the reader (that's me!)

I've enjoyed the books a lot, and would recommend to kids. Not that I've ever been anything approaching a good example in my life.

Next up, The LOTR trilogy... yeah, I still haven't read that, either.

God, I'm so uncultured.

[McDuffies]

I believe they use the quote that goes something like "I don't have to step in shit to know it's shit".

They'd be surprised, and have clearly never been in the "is that a Baby Ruth at the bottom of the pool" scenario.

Yes, or you know, you might have just dodged dropped chocolate ice cream or a weird-shaped branch or whatever, many things are long and brown, only a few smell as bad.

As they say, there's one thing worse than a person who's never read a book, and that is a person who's one book.

I like this quote and intend to use it in the future

Don't mistype like I did though.

It also seems a lot of the series has a Scooby-Doo ending, where stuff is explained for pages and pages and most if not all of the explanation is already understood by the reader (that's me!)

I always think a scooby doo ending more like a cat in the bag, an ending as plausible as any other and pretty much unrelated to anything that happened before in the episode.

Next up, The LOTR trilogy... yeah, I still haven't read that, either.

Watch the movies, read Pynchon instead.[/elitist]

[Bustertheclown]

But, really, the story only really advocates dropping out if the dropouts intend to save the world from the looming shadow of a bleak future under the clawlike thumb of unspeakable evil. And didn't Hermione drop back in, afterward? And the other two were given honorary doctorates of warlock ass-kicking? So, in the end, it was pretty moral and responsible.

[Mastermind]

Why didn't people complain that the book encouraged you to drop out of school?

Our three heroes dropped out of school their senior year, and at least at the point I'm at have no intention of returning to their education. They also advocate identity theft. And knitting.

I didn't take it as an encouragement, difficult times, Harry being all Jesus and stuff. But the Weasleys planning to leave to run their own business - that really gave me that impression.
But I was too busy raging at the lame ending and potential villains being slowly ruined because Rowling chickened out on some good character study. So instead of a bitter traitor we have an emo necrophile, a powerful tyrant fears the power of love and his servants run off into oblivion. Oh, and Dumbledore never being wrong, I didn't like that too.

[robotthepirate]

Bit of perspective though. Both the main 3 and the Weasley twins dropped out after their OWLs but before their NEWTs, in British terms this is perfectly acceptable (or was, not sure if they've changed the rules or are planning to, there was talk of it). Aged 16 kids over here can leave education with just their GCSEs or go on to Sixth Form or College to study for another 2 (or sometimes 3) years to get A-Levels or various other qualifications, after that if they want and have the grades they can go off to Uni, but its perfectly fine (especially if you're not academic) to leave with just your GCSEs and get a job somewhere (or maybe go in to an apprenticeship). In fact in recent economic times people say its better to leave at 16 and work you way up in a business because by the time your classmates leave uni aged 21 you'll have 5 years experience on them and a lot of companies prefer that to qualifications.

Fred and George had business minds and a small fortune from Harry to get their shop off the ground, so I think its a viable life choice for them to make.

[Mastermind]

Not saying it's wrong, of course. Just saying it seems more suggestive than Harry's case.